Mövenpick creates 'executive committee' of Millennials

BAAR, Switzerland, May 17, 2017

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has recruited a team of switched-on Generation Y employees and entrepreneurs to closely collaborate with the hospitality firm’s executive team as it looks to glean fresh ideas on how to attract Millennial guests and talent.

In a move that signals the Swiss hotel group’s progressive human resources strategy and commitment to meeting ever-changing guest demands, the company has hand-picked an ExCom–Y Committee – a team of 10 talented Millennials, six of whom are from across the company and the remaining four are young business leaders brought in from locations across the globe to provide a truly balanced and international perspective.

The group includes entrepreneurs and business executives from countries including Germany, France and the US, who are proficient in several disciplines such as technology, hospitality and pharmaceuticals.

They will work alongside a talented group of Mövenpick Millennials who have been selected from hotels in Dubai, Pattaya, Karachi and Switzerland. They too represent several nationalities and areas of expertise including front office, digital content and strategy, sales, marketing, F&B and brand and quality assurance.

The ExCom–Y Committee members all have one thing in common – they are all from Generation Y, broadly defined as those born in the 1980s and 1990s.

“As Millennials become a more influential demographic and contribute significantly to our overall guest profile, it is imperative we incorporate their needs and wishes into our hospitality offering.”

He added: “To be successful, we must listen to our team members and to our guests, and the ExCom–Y Committee is integral to our Human Resources and development strategies as we seek progressive methods to evolve our brand and meet future guest and talent demands.”

Millennials currently represent around one-third of the global population. This influential demographic is on-the-go and always connected, using mobile devices and digital platforms throughout their journeys and demanding immersive travel experiences that introduce them to new cultures and activities. They blend business trips into personal vacations more than other travellers and rely on online sources for information about their hotels or destinations, said the statement.

Mövenpick has already had some success attracting Millennials who account for more than 30 per cent of its guest total, it said.

“We must not only recognise their needs as the customers of the future, but also as potential talent that we can engage and employ,” said Olivier Chavy, president and CEO, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts. “At Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts we pride ourselves on recruiting a multi-cultural and multi-generational workforce and it has become very apparent that to truly reflect today’s global demographics, Millennials must be well-represented across our operations, from head office to individual hotels.”

Cochrane added: “The creation of the ExCom–Y Committee marks a significant step in this ongoing strategy and we are eager to work with them on a wide range of topics that are essential to our company’s evolution.”

The ExCom–Y Committee will be called on around five times a year to attend and contribute to executive meetings in various geographical locations.

“We look forward to gaining a new perspective, fresh ideas and a greater understanding of important Gen Y considerations,” concluded Cochrane. - TradeArabia News Service